An elderly woman and her great-grandson are injured but thankful to be alive after being tossed into the air by Wednesday's powerful tornado in Gordon County.
Betty Stewart, 79, said she huddled in the hallway of her home with Zane, her 2-year-old great-grandson.
"She told him she was going to cover him up with a blanket, and he said OK," the boy's father, Daren McFarland, said.
In an instant, the walls around them vanished, shattered into a million pieces and were hurled into the sky.
Then Stewart and the young boy were also launched into the air. They flew over some large trees and right into the middle of Highway 53.
A paramedic was the first to reach them.
"They found them in the road. He was going to clear some debris and he heard her yelling for Zane, and they found them," McFarland said.
The house they had been in was completely leveled.
"Good Lord watched over them and protected them from all this, so they'll be just fine," said Matthew Volek.
Stewart has several broken bones and some head injuries.
"She fought the tornado and it lost, because she's still kicking," Volek.
Zane has a severely broken leg.
"He's in a cast from his ribs to his knees. For three months he'll be like that. It's hard to see. He won't be able to lie down for three months, he won't be able to get around or move around. But he's doing good. He's a miracle baby. He was born two months early and he fought through that and now he's fighting through this," McFarland said.
With two family members seriously injured and their house gone, the family has set up a fund in Zane McFarland's name at the North Georgia National Bank in Calhoun.
Thursday, May 23 2013 12:56 AM EDT2013-05-23 04:56:30 GMT
The FOX 5 I-Team has learned that Douglas County District Attorney David McDade is personally asking the GBI to investigate how money is spent in his office.
The FOX 5 I-Team has learned that Douglas County District Attorney David McDade is personally asking the GBI to investigate how money is spent in his office.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:55 PM EDT2013-05-23 03:55:59 GMT
A local woman says she's trying to rebuild her life after storms hit this past weekend and destroyed her home.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:50 PM EDT2013-05-23 03:50:14 GMT
FOX 5 has learned that two Newton County elementary school students are being treated for injuries after they were bitten by a fox while they were playing on a playground.
FOX 5 has learned that two Newton County elementary school students are being treated for injuries after they were bitten by a fox while they were playing on a playground. Both victims are 6-year-old boys who are in kindergarten at Rocky Plains Elementary School, where the attack happened.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 10:42 PM EDT2013-05-23 02:42:27 GMT
What do major hotel chains, the IRS, and the business partner of a top rapper have in common? Court records show the National Conference of Black Mayors owes all of them money. Big money.
What do major hotel chains, the IRS, and the business partner of a top rapper have in common? Court records show the National Conference of Black Mayors owes all of them money. Big money.
